


Let us have Forever

by steak_sandwich



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Heavy Angst, I've been churning out a lot of fic lately lol I just love writing these two so much..., M/M, canon storyline but a little twist on what happens, not sure what else to say but yeah after writing fluff I just wanted to write some angst, there's a little bit of fluff to offset it lol, what if things didn't go so well when Leon got attacked by Eternatus :'3c
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:28:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22164835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steak_sandwich/pseuds/steak_sandwich
Summary: Raihan lost easily to the kid that Leon decided to endorse, yet he's more than happy to see just how Gloria would fare against Leon himself, not that he holds much hope for her to defeat him, too.When Rose triggers The Darkest Day, Raihan ends up potentially losing all that he cares about, and it seems the Championship match is on hold indefinitely, whether or not it'll end up going ahead at all.It's not as if that's what Raihan cares about anymore, though.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 57





	1. The Darkest Day

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyyy watch as I take on two multiple chapter fics at once fff.  
> I don't think this one will last as long as the Medieval au though so not to worry, I'll still be continuing both.
> 
> I just really felt like writing some angst and this idea has been churning in my head at work all day.
> 
> I haven't seen much angst so thought I'd add to it.

Raihan had always considered himself the second best trainer in all of Galar, even if he let some victories slip through his fingers - after all he had to let some people advance to the final challenge purposefully else nobody would get anywhere.  
This match was tricky in its own right though, he had heard a lot about this trainer endorsed by his dear friend Leon but he wanted to see just how well they handled battles for himself.

They seemed to be one step ahead of him on every move he made and every tactic he tried, as if they could easily read his decisions.  
Either it was blind luck, or they'd done their research, because he did often try and use similar methods of changing the weather to suit his Pokemon.

He let out Flygon - and they got defeated in one shot.  
He let out Gigalith - and they got defeated in one shot.

He roared towards the sky in frustration and cursed aloud, thankfully drowned out by the sounds of the crowd cheering and whooping around him.  
He took a sharp inhale of breath, recomposing himself as he decided the next course of action, almost glaring in the direction of the child stood at the other side of the arena.

He hovered his hand gingerly over the last two pokeballs, he knew he had to save Duraludon for last, even if it was predictable that he was planning to Dynamax him.  
He breathed in again, taking Sandaconda from his belt and whispering to the ball before throwing it into the air.

_Another one shot, this girl was unbelievable..._

It wasn't over til it was over, he gritted his teeth and practically yanked Duraludon from his belt, composing himself briefly and smiling at Rotom for his signature selfie before throwing the enlarged Pokeball further into the arena.

Gloria smiled as if knowingly, swapping out her Intelleon for an Arcanine, which of course she already set to Dynamaxing just after he did.  
He shouted out a command.  
She shouted out a command.

The Pokemon clashed and the trainers waited with bated breath for the result, only for Raihan to curse again as Duraludon started to shrink before him.  
" _Goddamnit."_  
He petulantly kicked at the gravel and withdrew his Duraludon, giving him praise despite the loss.  
"You did good, kid."  
He closed the space between them to the middle of the arena and handed her the well deserved badge.  
"Now go and kick Leon's ass." He added, smirking and throwing her a wink, resisting the urge to mess up her hair to boot.

-

The post match interviews were more than boring, always receiving the same questions over and over again, rubbing salt in the wounds that he had lost to a child, this time.  
"Are you losing your touch, Raihan?"  
He was thankful that he finally had the chance to excuse himself, dipping past the rest of the reporters, throwing them "No comment" here and there as if he was being accused of some crime.

He let out a sigh of relief the moment he finally waded through the last of them and into his - well - his and Leon's home, he supposed.  
They were both hopping to and from eachother's places as they both found it easier than traveling to and from Wyndon and Hammerlocke within a day.  
Leon was the one that did more traveling, though, naturally.

Yet here he was, nonchalantly drinking coffee without a care in the world.  
"You. You have literally endorsed a demon." He spoke up, lumbering over before flopping beside him on the sofa gracelessly, not that he cared, and it didn't seem like Leon cared either, his nose in whatever book he was reading at the time.  
"Mm, Hop?" He asked, not even acknowledging Raihan with a glance.  
Raihan couldn't help but squint, peeling the book and tossing it aside, ignoring the Champion's protest.  
" _That's not a nice thing to say about your little brother."_ He chided, avoiding eye contact stubbornly.  
" _You_ were the one that said it."  
"I meant his friend... What's her name, Gloria? Anyway I hope you have fun beating her tomorrow because she's too smug for her own good."

Leon smiled at that, resting his head in his hand as he stared at him lovingly.  
"Sounds like someone else I know..."  
"What?"  
"Nothing, mind getting my book back?"  
Raihan tutted, but obeyed regardless, heading to retrieve the book before skimming over the title.  
"Really? I had no idea you were the type to read _smut._  
Where did you even get this?" He asked, holding it just out of reach as Leon made a quick grab for it, his cheeks turning a subtle shade of pink.  
"It is _not_ smut." He countered, snatching the book the moment Raihan lowered it to him.  
"Uh huh, sure, you keep telling yourself that..... So.... Is this how you're going to prepare for your match tomorrow because I think strategy books would suit you better.  
Or do you have other plans?" He tacked on, voice just on the verge of being sing-songy.

Leon scowled at the lankier being.  
" _Shut up, Raihan."_ He huffed.

"You know you love it." He teased, scooting closer to press a kiss to the back of Leon's neck, just where he knew he liked it.

-

As much as Raihan would have loved to see the Championship match in person, he had other errands he had to run back in Hammerlocke, courtesy of that dumb Chairman Rose.  
He wouldn't let that put him off checking Rotom constantly for updates though, even if he was fairly confident that Leon would secure his title for yet another year.  
Or so he'd hoped, he didn't want to end up ranked third in Galar, if he was honest.

He was in the middle of typing up some stupid notes about Wishing Stars when the Rotom sounded up, almost making him jump a little at the sudden noise.

"Breaking News! Breaking News!"

Raihan got to his feet to inspect the device floating around him just as the ground began to shake violently around him, it wasn't enough to make him fall completely, but he put effort into holding his balance at the impromptu earthquake.  
"The hell..." He murmured, beckoning the Rotom closer and squinting at the text.  
".....Darkest Day? What the hell is that???"

He suddenly had a bad feeling, did Rose put him to this benign task simply to get him out of the way for whatever he had planned?  
He glanced over at the unfinished work on the desk and cursed, there was no way he'd be left out of whatever was going on.

He stormed out of his apartment, wobbling on his feet as another tremor started and ceased, he could sense some kind of energy emitting from the Stadium but decided to hold back as he considered his options.  
Everyone was in danger, and that was pretty evident, and the best thing he could think of to do was to help everyone evacuate first, at least.

Thankfully he wasn't alone in this, he spotted other Gym leaders here and there having arrived at the same conclusion, aiding him in evacuating the city before any harm possibly came to anyone.  
The moment he was certain the City was clear, he decided to head to the hub of whatever the hell was going on, but the moment he reached the entrance to the stadium, he hesitated momentarily until Hop and Gloria ran up from behind him.

"Raihan!"  
The sound alone was enough to have him turn on his heel, too distracted to even register who had called him.  
"Well if it isn't Gloria and Hop!" He grinned, trying his best to keep the children calm, not that they seemed as perturbed as he was feeling right now.  
"It's a real shame, the way things have turned out. You make it all the way to the Championship Match, then something like this has to happen!"  
He continued, still ever calm even if he was screaming internally, what if Leon was already at the heart of whatever danger was there? He was always the type to rush head into danger without any thought of the consequences.

The only thing he could do was at least keep the children out of danger by talking their ears off as much as possible until the danger seemed to subside or at least put them off getting involved.  
"And Chairman Rose thinking that the energy pouring from the Darkest Day would somehow be the key to saving Galar's future?  
It all seems a bit mad, if you ask me... I can't follow at all how that's supposed to work."  
He still had no idea about that, but he swatted up while he ran around with Rotom, trying to evacuate everyone.  
Only these two were still here.  
And unfortunately instead of being dissuaded from running headlong into danger, Hop spoke up, all enthusiasm and naivety.  
"I don't care if I'm up against the Darkest Day, Chairman Rose, or whatever! I'm going ahead to help my brother!"

Before he could reach out to stop him, he'd already gone, and maybe if he didn't feel like a complete and utter coward, then maybe he would have gone with him.  
He turned back to Gloria, maybe if she were with him they would be better off anyway, the more the merrier, and there was no way he'd let the children get hurt in the process if he had anything to say about it.  
"Hop never changes, huh? He's always in a rush..." He observed, feeling the guilt eating away at him, he shouldn't be letting them get involved whatsoever.  
 _He was too much like Leon, that was for sure._

"Nobody's been harmed at least, we Gym Leaders evacuated everyone with the help of the Pokemon in the city.  
And you? You're planning to help the Champion, too aren't you? To save the Galar region?"  
He could see the fire in her eyes, and he knew there was no putting it out now no matter what he told her, so there was no point in even trying anymore.  
And he'd already let Hop go ahead, so.  
She nodded her affirmation, and that was more than enough to have him agree to it, even if he didn't like it.  
"Alright, let's go."

The moment they had entered, Oleana ambushed the pair and Raihan couldn't help but grit his teeth in annoyance.  
 _What the hell did she want?_  
There seemed to be no malice in her words though, only an odd kind of softness as she pleaded with them to help her and to save Rose.  
 _Bastard gets what he deserves_  
He bit his tongue and shook his head, there was a lot he wanted to say but decided to save it as soon as she explained the situation.  
Eternatus didn't sound like a welcoming kind of Pokemon, but someone had to deal with the Dynamax Pokemon on the warpath, too.

He glanced down at Gloria.  
"You go and deal with Rose, I assume Hop is already down there, and I'll sort things out up here."

-

Raihan made quick work of his own situation, it wasn't too hard to appease the Dynamaxed Pokemon for some reason, he was just thankful that they all seemed to be significantly weaker than regular Dynamax somehow.  
That was one problem sorted, at least, and he was more than relieved that he could finally join the others, Oleana helpfully pointed out that they had climbed to the top of the tower.  
It wasn't ideal to go all the way up there, but at least he could be of further use.

He rushed into the nearest lift and pressed the largest number with a little more force than necessary, and pressed it again for good measure.  
That feeling of dread seemed to return the higher he went in the tower, and he put it down to maybe the air being thinner, even if he was aware that was complete bullshit.  
He just wanted something, anything to cling onto to distract him from whatever was possibly going on up there.

The doors opened with a heavy thud and he took in the scene before him, scanning around to check that the children were alright, and he sighed in relief as he counted the pair still standing and well.  
Only his blood ran cold the moment he recognised the figure passed out on the floor, and despite all possible danger he ran to his side while the children were battling what he assumed was Eternatus.

"Lee?? Lee can you hear me?!" Panic began to set in as he tried to reach into his memories for any kind of knowledge that would help in this situation, and he was coming up empty, he had _never_ learned first aid.  
"Shit, I'm getting you out of here, hold on."  
Something was telling him that moving someone injured was never a good idea, but he was already out of options before he could begin, and his body already felt like ice.  
Even if he was usually cold against his skin, it was never like this before.

He was at least glad that Charizard was still out of his ball, because at least that saved some time for him.  
"Charizard, c'mere." He beckoned, carefully lifting Leon onto his back before sitting behind him and holding onto the base of the Pokemon's wings for purchase.  
" _You're going to be ok, my love, I promise._ " He reassured, voice breaking, because he was definitely not convinced of such, himself.

He glanced over at Hop, still busied with the potential battle of his life, and he opened his mouth to call to him but decided against it, he'd come and find him again later.  
"Where's the nearest hospital, Rotom?"   
" _West Wyndon!_ It trilled before comfortably lodging itself in Raihan's pocket.

"You'll be fine... You'll be fine." He murmured, almost in a kind of chant, as if convincing himself more than Leon.


	2. Progress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly if there are any medical inconsistencies in this I'm sorry, it's not really my area of expertise but I still wanted to explore this idea.  
> I hope you like it!
> 
> As you can see it'll have a happy ending.  
> I was mulling over having two endings but I don't know I can write a harsh one lol.

Playing the waiting game was the worst thing that he could possibly do in this situation, but there was nothing else he really wanted to do while he was racked with worry, not even indulge in the distractions of Social Media to turn his head for a couple of hours.  
In this situation he wanted to cry so much, but for the most part he wasn't sure if he even felt anything, he had become a husk in a matter of minutes even after the constant reassurances that Leon would be fine, he would recover.

If anything, the way he looked now though, said otherwise, he was surrounded by more machines than Raihan could count, and he wasn't even sure what all of them did but he was certain that they all had their own part in keeping him alive.  
And that was what scared him, what if even one of them malfunctioned even for a moment? Would Leon be ok?

He drew his chair closer to the bed, ignoring the sharp sound against his ears and instead focused on staring at the man he cared about most in the whole world, carefully brushing strands of hair out of his face.  
"You're the Champion... You should wake up and have that battle.. You know, you... You love having a _Champion_ time."  
With those words he did feel _something,_ and the tears poured and they poured until he had no tears left to cry.  
He wasn't sure if he'd dried out or if he'd just fallen asleep from exhaustion, but it felt like there was some kind of gap in his memory, because the next thing he knew it wasn't just him and Leon, Hop and his mother had arrived, and the tears started once more.  
This wasn't the way he first wanted to meet Leon's mother, they had even planned to introduce themselves to their respective parents formally, in time.

" _I'm sorry... I'm so sorry"_  
Was he saying that to them? Was he saying it to Leon, he didn't know but he felt the need to entwine his fingers with his, almost wincing at the cold.  
He squeezed his hand gently.  
"You can get through this, you're strong..."

-

A week had passed.  
The gaps in his memory seemed to be occuring more frequently the longer he was there, maybe it was a side effect of having to listen to the constant beeps and blips of the machines around him, or maybe he was just completely losing his mind.  
Either way, he didn't care, ever since that day he felt he had lost a part of himself somehow.  
Raihan was the type to take care of himself, he was proud of his image and how other people perceived him, he loved to take selfies of himself and even sneak ones of Leon when he wasn't looking.

Already his appearance had significantly altered, every moment away from Leon was torture, so he neglected to leave at all, he neglected to sleep properly, eat properly, do any kind of basic task if it meant a moment away from Leon.

He was _scared_.  
Scared that if he had turned his back for a second, he'd be gone in the next moment.  
He couldn't live with himself, because what would a life be without his rival, his love at his side?

He had no idea how his mother - Dahlia, he'd learned her name was - could cope, she was a lot stronger than he ever was and he supposed that was for a number of reasons.  
He cast aside the idea that maybe she didn't care enough, at least he tried to, eventually such negative thoughts started to completely warp his perception of her, and even Hop, so much so he began to chastise them when they started to show up at all.  
At first it was harmless, but as it got worse the mere sight of them was enough for him to bark at them, telling them to go away all the while using every name under the sun to slander them.

It would always end up the same way, with him bursting into tears and Dahlia rubbing his shoulders comfortingly while he apologised, he hated battling against the ugly side of himself, which seemed to grow with each passing day Leon was out cold.

-

Two weeks had passed.  
Raihan found comfort in talking to Leon about anything and everything, especially after being encouraged to do so by the nurses.  
"He can hear everything you say, you know." They encouraged, and even if he was sceptical at first he decided to take it on board, and it did make him feel better, and he found it a lot easier to share company once again, maybe he was just getting more adjusted to the situation.

"I've started going on Pokegram again today..." He began, not knowing where to take the conversation.  
"Of course people are worried, but, I didn't really know what to say to them, and I don't know if I'm ready to post any pictures again yet... I haven't exactly been taking care of myself..."  
He stroked Leon's cheek absentmindedly, smiling in endearment.  
"I know, I know, but maybe you'd actually like me with stubble." He continued, trailing off, he wasn't exactly sure where to take it next.  
"Hey, did you know that Hop was planning on becoming a professor? He's started working with Sonia, I think-"

Maybe Raihan imagined it, he got excited for nothing before, but he could have sworn he saw his hand move, and he decided to retrieve a nurse quickly to see if anything would come of it, even if it was probably the hundredth time.

She smiled sweetly at him.  
"You'll have to wait a little longer, I'm afraid."

Had he not waited enough?

-

No matter how many stages of grief he'd gone through, or was going to go through, he would never give up on his beloved.  
The moment finally came though where they decided to gradually decrease the oxygen and see if Leon would be able to breathe on his own, and Raihan was sure he'd chewed his lip to shreds out of nerves, he could even taste the blood on his tongue constantly.

What if he wasn't breathing on his own? What then?  
Would they have no choice but to give up?

He paced around the outside of the room, peering in second by second in hopes of an update, but the time seemed to go on forever and it almost felt like it had frozen completely so he sat beside Hop and bounced his leg in agitation, he couldn't remember ever being so fidgety before.  
Hop smiled reassuringly, and only the moment Raihan glanced at him for possibly the first time in ages had he realised just how much the boy had grown.  
"You said yourself he's strong, he'll be ok."  
He returned the smile and nodded back.  
"You're right, he will be."

Finally the nurses had left the room, having finished weaning Leon off of the oxygen and assessing his health.  
At first Raihan couldn't read the expressions on their faces, and the three waited with bated breath as they waited for words to spill from their mouths.  
 _And they smiled_  
"It's good news, he's breathing on his own. We've also detected brain activity, but it will still be a long road to recovery."

That was all he needed to hear, he was awash with elation and relief and before hearing what else they had to say he returned to Leon's side with glee, kissing his cheek for the first time since he'd teased him about the dumb smutty book.  
"You're wonderful, I love you so much."  
Even if he knew that he wouldn't get any kind of reaction, of course, he took Leon's fingers through his own again and squeezed.

Only this time he felt a gentle squeeze back, and he was fairly sure he wasn't imagining it this time.  
He still decided to keep quiet about it, though, like the nurses said, it would be a long road to recovery and he didn't want to get their hopes up about him waking anything soon.


End file.
